orthodoxy
1st December 2005, 01:21 PM
In an analogy of what sin does to man relationship with God, my priest gave an example of his young life understanding and compared it with the Orthodox understanding. I would like to relay this analogy to TAW.
Think of man seated in a chair with God across from him seated in a chair. Man and God have a “face to face” relationship. According to western “young life” theology God cannot look upon sin so that when sin entered the world by man turning his back or “chair” to God, God was obligated to turn His back on man who was now sin. Man could turn to God but God cannot look upon man. God is always turning away from man who is sin to Him. Man can pursue God but God is always far from him due to sin. God sees this dilemma and sends His Son, Jesus Christ, as a blood atonement for the sin that separates God from man. His suffering revenged an angry God that was eluding man so that God now “sees His Son and not our sin”. God now turns His seat towards man in His Son, Jesus Christ. No matter what man’s attitude is towards God, God is always seated looking at man. This is where the relationship between God and man fails in the western theological system because “Jesus does all the work” man is not made responsible and accountable.
The Orthodox theology has God and man seated facing each other in relationship. Man picks up His chair and turn his back on God in sin. God picks up His chair and puts it in the face of man. Man again sins and moves his chair. God again picks up His chair and puts it in the face of man. Man again sins and moves his chair. God again picks up His chair and puts it in the face of man. So that God sends His only begotten Son to pursue man. He dies at the hands of sin in pursuit of man. God pours Himself out for man in this pursuit. God will not stay out of man’s face. He is every present and filleth all things. He continues to pursue and wants a relationship with man. It is this eternal sacrifice in love that God displays towards man that makes the incarnation a meaningful and a joyous event. It is this loving pursuit of man by God in His Son, Jesus Christ that restores man to a healthy relationship with Him. The Church is the earthy hospital in which this relationship with God is restored. Through the body of His Son, the Church, man is brought into a “face to face” relationship with God.
I did not do this justice but I thought it was another interesting paradigm between the eastern Christian theological mind and the western Christian theological mind.
In Christ,
kyril
Think of man seated in a chair with God across from him seated in a chair. Man and God have a “face to face” relationship. According to western “young life” theology God cannot look upon sin so that when sin entered the world by man turning his back or “chair” to God, God was obligated to turn His back on man who was now sin. Man could turn to God but God cannot look upon man. God is always turning away from man who is sin to Him. Man can pursue God but God is always far from him due to sin. God sees this dilemma and sends His Son, Jesus Christ, as a blood atonement for the sin that separates God from man. His suffering revenged an angry God that was eluding man so that God now “sees His Son and not our sin”. God now turns His seat towards man in His Son, Jesus Christ. No matter what man’s attitude is towards God, God is always seated looking at man. This is where the relationship between God and man fails in the western theological system because “Jesus does all the work” man is not made responsible and accountable.
The Orthodox theology has God and man seated facing each other in relationship. Man picks up His chair and turn his back on God in sin. God picks up His chair and puts it in the face of man. Man again sins and moves his chair. God again picks up His chair and puts it in the face of man. Man again sins and moves his chair. God again picks up His chair and puts it in the face of man. So that God sends His only begotten Son to pursue man. He dies at the hands of sin in pursuit of man. God pours Himself out for man in this pursuit. God will not stay out of man’s face. He is every present and filleth all things. He continues to pursue and wants a relationship with man. It is this eternal sacrifice in love that God displays towards man that makes the incarnation a meaningful and a joyous event. It is this loving pursuit of man by God in His Son, Jesus Christ that restores man to a healthy relationship with Him. The Church is the earthy hospital in which this relationship with God is restored. Through the body of His Son, the Church, man is brought into a “face to face” relationship with God.
I did not do this justice but I thought it was another interesting paradigm between the eastern Christian theological mind and the western Christian theological mind.
In Christ,
kyril